By Jay Laurens, Coordinator of Outreach Programs - Lilly Center for Vocation and Values. From April 25-28 of this year, a total of 362 tornadoes ripped through the southern United States, killing at least 350 people. Hardest hit was the state of Alabama, where a 1.5-mile wide tornado left a path of destruction almost 80 miles long and resulted in at least 65 deaths and the destruction or major damage of an estimated 5,000 homes.

Source: foxcharlotte.com - Game, money, and power. That's how political science professor Dr. J. Michael Bitzer describes political campaigns for the White House. "I explain to my students in the classroom on the first day, that politics is a game," said Bitzer. "And just like any game, you've got players, you've got strategies, and you've a court."

Catawba College professor of History and Politics, Dr. Michael Bitzer, recently spoke to WSOC-TV regarding the possible political impact of redrawing the voting districts across the state. "This is probably the key thing that will shape North Carolina politics for the next decade," said Bitzer.

The Mary J. Szczepanski "Never Give Up" MS Scholarship Foundation, a national program, has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Catawba College first-year student Danielle Jenee NaSonya Cooper for raising the most funds for Multiple Sclerosis nationwide. Cooper, a graduate of Myrtle Beach High School in SC, raised $602.50 for MS research and was one of 30 high school seniors who participated in the the national fundraising program.

By Paul Schenkel, Media General News Service. Chip Lewis played defensive back for the Catawba Indians, where he earned an honorable mention All-American. A Morganton native, Lewis isn't usually the emotional type. But when he learned his dream of being a high school football head coach would come in his home county – as the young Patton High program's third coach – he couldn't help himself.

LaQuon Rogers of Ayden was elected as Governor of the American Legion Tar Heel Boys' State Wednesday, June 22 during the week-long event held at Catawba College. LaQuon is a rising senior at Ayden Grifton High School. He is the son of Trymane Rogers and Alisa Barret of Ayden and the grandson of Julia Rogers of Ayden.

On the outside, Catawba College Public Safety Officer Ralph Michael seems a tall, quiet, unassuming man with a ready smile, intent on doing his job. On the inside and when he's off-duty, Ralph Michael is a man serious about his barbecue and dipping sauce — so serious that he's started producing his own version for retail sale. The retired Lexington police officer and native of North Carolina's barbecue capital admits he's been making his Ralph's BBQ and Dipping Sauce for more than 25 years.

C.A. "Junie" Michael, III, a 1970 Catawba College alumnus, was honored by the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA ) with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor that the NCADA bestows.

by Emily Ford (SalisburyPost.com) - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has expanded its focus at the N.C. Research Campus to include fetal alcohol disorders. The UNC Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis has hired Dr. Philip May, a research professor and expert in the field of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Mr. Paul Fisher, Chairman of the Catawba College Board of Trustees has announced that the college will begin a national search for its 23rd president. Fisher also announced that Trustee Bill Graham, a 1983 Catawba graduate, will Chair the Presidential Search Committee. "As we begin our search for the 23rd President of Catawba College, we will focus on finding a candidate who is first and foremost a leader, with an enthusiasm for higher education combined with bold and visionary goals...

Catawba College professor of History and Politics, Dr. Michael Bitzer, recently spoke to WBTV on the topic of the flurry of new bills the GOP majority is scrambling to push through.

Catawba College alumna Dinah Carpenter retires from Overton Elementary School after teaching 24 years. Carpenter received her teaching certification from Catawba.

Catawba College employees gathered with co-workers for watermelon and fellowship on campus between 2 and 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The summer afternoon social, one of several planned during the months of June and July, was sponsored by the Staff Council and the President's Office.

Jean Wurster, a librarian at the Corriher-Linn-Black Library at Catawba College, is one of three generations of women in the same family to be a breast cancer survivor. Her mother, Doris Miller, and daughter, Liz, have also survived breast cancer. WRAL-TV recently covered their stories, which illustrate the advances in care for the disease for nearly 30 years...

Catawba College's School of Evening Studies will sponsor an open house in Kannapolis on Monday, June 27, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the ante room of the Core Lab Building in Kannapolis. Prospective students are invited to drop by at any time for an overview of the program and financial aid opportunities.

Catawba College's School of Evening Studies will sponsor an open house on Tuesday, June 21, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the Conference Center on the main campus of Davidson County Community College. Catawba currently offers evening courses on the DCCC campus. Prospective students are invited to drop by at any time for an overview of the program and financial aid opportunities.

Catawba College will host the 72nd annual session of Tar Heel Boys' State June 19-25. This is the eighth consecutive year that the weeklong event has been held on campus and approximately 300 participants, all rising high school seniors from North Carolina, are expected.

A total of 122 students have been named to the Presidential Honor Roll List for the 2010-2011 academic year at Catawba College, according to Dr. W. Richard Stephens, Jr., Provost of the College. Students named to the Presidential Honor Roll List have achieved a 3.7 grade point average in 30 or more semester hours. Students on the 2010-2011 Presidential Honor Roll List include...

A total of 244 students have been named to the Dean's List for the 2011 Spring Semester at Catawba College, according to Dr. W. Richard Stephens, Jr., Provost of the College. Students named to the Dean's List have achieved a 3.5 grade point average in 15 or more semester hours.

Each summer Inspire The Fire (ITF), founded by 2006 Catawba College graduate Dennis Reed of Charlotte, facilitates a week-long conference for youth (ages 10-21) to exhibit their talents through music, dance and dramatic workshops. On July 18-24, 2011 teens will be engaged in an intense artistic learning environment that will promote self-confidence and foster an aspiration for an improved way of life.

Kathy Conte, a 1973 alumna of Catawba College, retired from Charles England Elementary School after a 38-year career in education. After receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education at Catawba, Conte started her career at Cecil School teaching third grade. Later, she taught at Southwest Elementary School and Dunbar School, which was later renamed to Charles England.

Catawba College's School of Evening Studies will sponsor an open house on the Catawba campus on Monday, June 20, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in Ketner Hall, Room 108. Prospective students are invited to drop by at any time for an overview of the program and financial aid opportunities.

Popular music stands as the vibrant soundtrack of our modern lives, and a long list of luminary artists has proved its artistic worth. Despite this, few institutions of higher learning have embraced it, making popular musicians a group still woefully underserved by education. In fact, only about a dozen American universities offer a curriculum specifically designed for students of popular music. Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina has just officially joined their ranks.

Church Youth Empowerment Weekend 2011, an interdenominational Christian event for high-school age youth (rising high school freshmen – rising college freshmen) will be held Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17, 2011, on the campus of Catawba College. The cost for the three-day event is only $25 per person. All activities, lodging in the college's dormitories, meals, and a commemorative t-shirt are included.

Jessica Bound, a junior student at Catawba College, was selected to receive a UPS Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year. Bound is majoring in biology and is from Waxhaw, NC. North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU), a Counsel of Independent Colleges (CIC) State Fund member association, distributed $2,700 in UPS Scholarship funds to Catawba College.

By Sarah Campbell, salisburypost.com - South Rowan High School Senior Tyler Rea has been helping out with athletics including football, basketball and baseball since he was a freshman. He'll be heading to Catawba in the fall to study physical education. Physical limitations have never kept Tyler Rea out of the game.

By Joe Habina, Charlotte Observer - When Michaela Boyd thought about her chances of playing college softball, she thought she would be "one of those players that got overlooked and never got a chance to play." The Northwest Cabarrus senior outfielder believed Anderson College was committed to her last summer, but she said its interest faded away. Out of the blue, Catawba College in Salisbury offered her a tryout, which soon turned into a scholarship offer.

Renewal forms for Chiefs Club members have been mailed. 2011-12 Chiefs President Bob Setzer is expecting an increase in membership from last year. 2010-2011 membership stood at 451 after four consecutive years over 500. Setzer said "with a very attractive five game home football schedule including UNC Pembroke and our economy showing signs of improvement, we look for new members and we hope our former ones renew as well."

Catawba College may have to get a bigger trophy case just to house all of the awards collected by longtime Head Athletic Trainer Robert Casmus, MS, LAT, ATC, EMT. Last year, he was named an NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer, which will fit nicely alongside his NCAA Division II College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year and North Carolina College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year awards.

June 12-18 will be the 72nd consecutive year of Tar Heel Girls State, and for the tenth year, Catawba College will host the weeklong session. At the annual event, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of North Carolina, several hundred girls from across North Carolina, all high school juniors who are academically in the top third of their class, will participate.

By Sarah Campbell, Salisburypost.com - Theresa Pierce '10 can't walk down the halls at Overton Elementary School without students waving, calling out her name or running to hug her. "They are always so excited to see her," Jennifer Sheppard, the school's Title I coordinator, said. Pierce was recently named the Rowan-Salisbury Teacher of the Year, an accolade Sheppard said is well-deserved.

Forty-two Catawba College students, members of the Catawba Singers, returned May 25 from a 10-day trip to Europe that included stops in four different countries. For some of the students, the trip marked their first plane ride or their first trip outside the United States. It was an eye-opening, life-enriching experience for them, and although their time abroad was brief, it will be memorable and likely viewed through time’s unwavering glass as a pivotal moment in each of their lives.

Patience really is a virtue and one I do not have in abundant quantities. However, I do think I am getting better. For example, last Saturday I had planned to give a test but was then told school was cancelled at 10am, right before my class. One of the teachers' fathers had passed away so we were all going to pay our respects.

By Joanie Morris, for the Salisbury Post - Robert Van Geons '97 has a secret. The economic development director has been harboring this secret for years. He sings. He sings loud and he sings proud.

Again this year, Catawba College's 1,450-seat Keppel Auditorium will be the site for the Rowan-Salisbury School System's high school graduations on Saturday, June 11. Doors open for the graduation ceremonies one hour prior and tickets are required for admittance.